Avatar The Last Airbender Drabbles
by ToriMc
Summary: Stories about the Gaang and others throughout their lives. Rated M for some chapters but not all. Updated sporadically.
1. Kyoshi Island ftw

"You think that my worth is less than yours because of what, because I have breasts and am undoubtedly a woman?" The Chief of Kyoshi,once Kyoshi Warrior Commander, war hero, and mother of three stood unflinchingly tall under the gaze of an Earth Kingdom merchant who had been ignoring her in favor of the men standing around. Finally he had handed her some of his luggage, apparently thinking her a servant, and told her to 'scurry along like a good woman'. Needless to say Suki was not pleased.

The trader looked down his nose, or at least attempted to until his nose was pressed up against wooden planks and a knee was shoved forcefully into his back. "Women are to be taken seriously asshole, especially the women of Kyoshi. You would do best to learn that before you try selling your pathetic wares here again." With that, Suki dug her knee in further before stating, "Don't come back until you've learned some real manners."

Sokka watched the entire scene unfold from down the pier, a grin splitting his face. The twins - Kyo and Shi were already trying with their best three year old balance to imitate their mom and Sokka was sure that the telling of this story tonight at dinner would only harden his little warriors' resolve to be _just like Mommy_ even if the girls did tend to pick up Daddy's boomerang and pop it into their mouths with unusual vigor and take almost everything apart. Yeah, the twins would turn out great and watching Suki gracefully take down another fool who thought she was worthless served as yet another reminder of why Sokka fell in love with her in the first place.


	2. This Generation

They are the generation that grew up on pain. From their earliest moments, to their dying days, pain is what they know. It sculpts them, cauterizes them, grows them - but some it destroys. They grew up watching others suffer. In the South Pole, two children were powerless as their mother died. They found out, tears streaming down their faces, but shouldered the burden. Katara carried the guilt for years, holding it inside as a coal to keep her moving forward, reminding her that it was all her fault. She could have stopped it, it was all her fault. Sokka should have been there to protect his mother, he should have never left her side. Katara took that pain and became the mother figure, Sokka took that pain and became a warrior. They were both still children. They never should have had to watch their father sail away. They never should have had to hold back sobs of hunger when there wasn't enough food and they were supposed to provide for the village. They never should have had to watch babies die because of the cold or because of starvation. They took that pain and grew.

In the middle of the Earth Kingdom, a blind child was born, delicate gentle and sweet. She was treated as fragile, so fragile that even a wrong gust of wind could make her fall apart, and she was hidden from view. Who would ever want to admit that they had spawned a blind weak earthbender? It was heartbreaking to listen as her parents tried to make their friends forget about her. It was infuriating to be treated as weak, and so she became strong. She took the ache in her chest and the tears in her eyes and transformed them into earthbending far beyond her years. She took that pain she'd grown so accustomed to and threw it back.

The Firelord was even more ashamed of his offspring than Toph's parents but he could never hide his son. His son would live forever in the public eye, regardless of the fact that Ozai wished he would cease to exist, and he made no effort to hide that from his impressionable boy. Zuko was scoffed at, pushed into embarrassment, manipulated, and publicly humiliated so often he wondered what he had done to deserve it but realized that there _must _ be something wrong with him and it really was all his fault. He was abused and convinced that he had to be better, always always better. His own father burned and disowned him, and so he had to be better. His father would be glad if he died, and that wrenched his heart out. It hurt to be so hated. He was too young to hurt so badly. He took that pain though and transformed it into a scythe, cutting his enemies down.

Azula, the namesake of Firelord Azulon, the jewel of Ozai's eye, grew up in pain. Her mother feared so badly for her that her love came out as stunted and forced. Ozai put so much pressure on her that she herself came out stunted and fed on manipulation. What else is there to a child who has never known a world without harsh punishment and being pushed to always be the best. She had to be in control, but she had to listen quietly to Ozai. He owned her and hurt her, turning her into a weapon making her believe she was unworthy of actual loyalty, the kind that comes without threats. That pain destroyed her. Being so completely alone destroyed her.

They were the generation that grew up on pain. It's all they can ever know.


End file.
